by Ally Parker
Josef’s attention shifted to the amber fluid in her glass for the longest time. Dread was a pliable entity that wrapped its ugly arms around her.
“Sorry to hear we couldn’t reach an agreement. I’m afraid negotiations are now over.”
17
Ryker could feel the air thinning. The flow of oxygen had sputtered out hours ago. He’d taken a gamble to win Kali’s freedom and he guessed he lost. Jefferson had left shortly after giving him the heads up that they were expecting company. Now, his beast was the only thing keeping him company, scratching and clawing for freedom.
It would be so easy to sink back into the recesses of his mind and let his monster take control. Maybe then the suffocating sense of failure wouldn’t steal his breath. Or was that his lack of oxygen? No matter how tempting it was to give in, the notes of Kali’s fear teased his senses. He closed his eyes and focused on keeping his breathing calm.
Somewhere close, a door opened, and boots stomped on the floor. His heart rate spiked. Yet he tamped it down with the last strings of rational thought—to save his oxygen. A key jangled. A second set of boots entered the room. A whistling tune he hadn’t heard since he was a pup rang outside the coffin.
Energy built in his veins, and it hummed through his nerve pathways. This might be his only chance to break free; he wouldn’t kick a gift horse in the mouth. The lock clicked. A ribbon of bright light blinded him; he sucked in a breath and scented signatures of four different males in the room. At once he recognized each and every male—his father, Brennen, Marcus, and Lake.
He blinked, his vision still adjusting. Not hesitating, he vaulted out of the coffin, his claws sinking into flesh of the closest body.
The male snarled, his blood scent filling the air.
Before Ryker could take his last step, pain snapped his body taut. Current after current shot into him, holding him immobile. He willed his body to move. The useless thing only stood there vibrating as wave after wave of agony rocked through his body. His teeth clenched. Hard. He tasted blood. It trickled down his throat and out his mouth. He wanted to swallow but even that comfort was out of reach.
“Ryker, Ryker, Ryker,” Josef tsked. “When will you learn? You can’t go against me and expect to win.”
His wolf gnashed his teeth and curled his lip. It wanted blood. It wanted to feel the flesh of its victims between his jaws. Soon, he promised. He tried to center himself, control his response. The chemical reaction snapped at his synapses. A whine slipped out.
After an age, the volts stabbing into him stopped, and he collapsed to the cold, hard floor choking on blood. He coughed and spluttered, trying to catch a breath. As he blinked, his vision cleared.
“Now. Do it now.”
Metal snapped around his neck.
Staggering upright, he punched out and connected with someone’s jaw.
“Fuck! Lake, get the lead.”
Good, he must have struck gold on Marcus. It was only a sampler of what he was going to dish out.
Chains rattled. Weight pulled at the device around his neck. “I got the fucker.”
His head yanked down, forcing him to his knees. He growled, his claws flicked out like a pocket knife, and he swiped at Marcus and Lake.
They both jumped back. He reached up and yanked on the chain. A jolt of pain, short and sharp, stabbed him in the back. Momentarily, he was caught in a web of torture. This time, he swallowed it up and used it to fuel his mounting rage. Rage that hovered just under the surface like a quaking volcano. None of these males could tell how close he was to snapping. How close they were to death.
From behind him, clapping echoed. His sucked in a breath and blew it out just as quick. He didn’t bother to turn around, already knowing it was his father. “My dear boy, you’re closer to turning rogue than I thought. Most people can’t tap into their wolf after a good dose of the prod.”
Hands braced on his knees, he kept his head bowed. The clip of his father’s boots was infinite in that moment. His father inched up his suit pants at his groin and dropped to a crouch, tilting his head. Ryker didn’t move his head, but he met Josef’s gaze head-on, unblinking.
“I wasn’t sure if this useful contraption could control a male.” He slapped the device in the palm of his hand. “Of course I took precautions upping the voltage. All in all, I’d say things worked out nicely.”
Bursting forward, Ryker reached for his father with outstretched hands. Kill. Kill them all. His claws whispered across Josef’s neck. The chain snapped and his whole body flew back, hitting the stand for the coffin behind him. The casket toppled and rolled across the opening.
A sharp current of electricity zapped into his side. Once the tremors were over, he rolled up to see Brennon holding the prod, smiling down at him. Sick prick. He growled.
“Don’t be stupid, boy.” Josef’s voice snagged his attention as he yanked out a crisp white handkerchief and fanned it once before dabbing it at single claw wound on his neck.
Josef smiled not showing his teeth. “There’s no use trying to escape.” He sighed and shook his head, true disappointment glistening in his amber gaze. “Have I taught you nothing? You have to think like your opponent. Anticipate their actions, their responses. Golden rule—don’t act in desperation. Not surprisingly, you failed to lure the enemy to your side. Jefferson told me everything. Down to the last tidbit of information about expecting company.”
Easy for him to sit there and judge. Logic, reason, none of it mattered when your mate was threatened and there wasn’t a damn thing you could do about it. It had been a gamble to try and negotiate with Jefferson. One he’d lost.
Ryker’s lip lifted. “It changes nothing. Your time to reign over this little nightmare is over.”
Josef threw back his head and laughed. “It changes nothing, you fool. My men are on alert and are standing by.” He stood and spread his arms wide. “You could have been a part of this, history in the making. I have an army at my disposal. Your tiny pack will be exterminated by dawn. The only thing you’ve managed to do is sign their death warrant.”
Army? That was news to him. Seems as though they both kept information close to their chests. If everything went according to plan, then there would be a lot more reinforcements on their way. If Grayson couldn’t get the other packs to join, then his father was right. His pack may have been eighteen strong, but that was nothing compared to the Pit or the so-called army.
He pounded his teeth together. His jaw pulsed.
Josef nodded his head and lifted the prod hovering it just above his chest.
“Think of your female. If you want to see her before you die, you won’t move a muscle.”
He hadn’t stopped thinking about Kali. All the guilt, the longing, the injustice swirled in the back of his memory like a parasite feeding into his fears every second that passed.
Josef nodded to someone behind him. A second later, a thick chain wrapped around his gut. He wanted to rip the arm out of Marcus’s shoulder. More than that he wanted to see Kali again. He had to tell her he loved her and that he was sorry.
“This little device acts like a choker chain on a dog. If you shift, the mechanism…” Lake passed a box that the chain fed through to Josef. “Will activate and the chain will continue to be wrenched until your body is cut in half.”
Josef passed the box back to Marcus and clapped his hands.
“Now, let’s begin your punishment before I carry your sentence out.”
Come on, come on. Where the hell was her wolf? Willing the animal forward, Kali glanced down to find her human nails shift to darkened claws. This must be what a were feels like, unable to use their animal except on the full moon. Panic was a pliable thing coursing through her body and congealing the blood in her veins.
The stadium was empty compared to earlier. All except the guards manning the exits. She stood naked beneath a black-hooded cloak, the garment drowning her smaller frame. At least it was a small blessing they must not have pit females to fight
. Here she was, waiting for her opponent.
Jefferson.
She knew what this was to Josef and Jefferson. Nothing more than a formality glittered by the charade she stood a chance against her real-life bogey man. She couldn’t even summon her wolf. If she were honest, she didn’t even know how to. Her wolf had been a part of her for as long as she could remember. Always there watching, ready.
Her absence caused a hollow pit to form. Don’t focus on that. Right. She was about to fight Jefferson, and her life depended on it. Head in the game, Kali. It wasn’t uncommon that she was behind the eight ball. Rolling her shoulders, she glanced around, looking for potential resources she could use.
Her bare feet flexed into the dirt. She latched onto the sensation. Dirt. Not the most viable weapon. Enough to hinder her opponent’s vision.
From behind her the double doors sighed open. She spun on her heel, the hood falling from her head. In walked a small heard of males. Josef and Brennon led the pack. Marcus and Lake held a chain linked to… She gasped and her heart swelled, threatening to explode in her chest.
Ryker!
He was alive. She couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. Quickly she bit the inside of her cheeks to control her reaction. A weight lifted from around her soul, and she felt freer now in an arena about to fight with Jefferson, knowing Ryker was alive. That at least one of them had a chance to get away. No matter how small that sliver was, she clung onto that thought and guarded it with all she had.
From the across the field, a barely whisper of footfalls padding across the dirt sounded. She moved to face the threat, keeping both Jefferson and Josef in her view.
“Like fuck…” Ryker snarled. He screamed to a halt, turned and pulled on the chain reeling Lake toward him.
Like lightening, Brennon jumped a chair and rammed the prod right into the small of Ryker’s back. He tensed, his body bowing, and her wolf growled. It lasted several minutes, and Ryker fell to his knees on the ground.
Their eyes met and the look reflecting in his gaze would haunt her always. She swallowed and prayed to the moon for a miracle.
Jefferson’s body heat radiated through the cloak’s material. He bent down and whispered into her ear. “I’m playin’ for keeps, my little Firefly.”
She spun into Jefferson her hands shoving his bare chest. He staggered back, completely naked, and laughed.
“Now there’s the Firefly I know and love.”
Behind her, Ryker growled, and she could hear one hell of a commotion. As much as she wanted to save him, she couldn’t shift her attention. What he was implying was revolting, and she’d welcome death rather than to be kept as his pet.
“Delicious,” Josef said. “I love a good fight. Jefferson, to your corner.”
Jefferson turned and bowed. Only enough that would be considered acceptable. Backing away, he didn’t let his gaze leave hers.
She swallowed. Her body tingled from her hair follicles down to the underside of her feet. Ryker had taught her much; how to be noble, how to fight for of others—something she’d always wished for herself. Most importantly, how to love.
She’d use all those new attributes to fuel her determination. Today, Jefferson would die, and so would the person he’d shaped her to be. In this she would succeed or die trying.
“Begin,” Josef ordered.
A blink later and Jefferson had shifted to his wolf. His beast had always been big. Calling her animal, fur dotted across her arms, claws lengthened, and her teeth felt sharper. Her wolf was still trapped inside of her.
“Damn it.”
Pacing in front, Jefferson stalked toward her. She backed away and stumbled on the length of coat. Her knees sunk in the top layer of sand. Yanking her vision up, she swallowed a cry. Jefferson jumped. She tried to dodge contact. Too slow. Too late. Fire ripped from her shoulder to her elbow. She hissed out a breath.
Jefferson hit the ground and rolled like a missile slamming into the arena wall. She didn’t mess about. Jumping up, her fingers fumbled around the clip, and she ripped off the cloak. Blood dropped from her elbow with a pitter-patter onto the ground. Naked was better than wrapped up like a nice little Kali burrito. Without the fabric tangling her movements she whirled away and sprung up a few feet between them.
Jefferson prowled forward, one paw step at a time. Adrenaline sang across her body. She kept her muscles loose, ready on the defense. Jefferson growled, and saliva dripped from his mouth and glistened in the low lighting, making the action seem more bloodthirsty.
She might have been more human than shifter in that moment. But she knew her opponent well and would use any tool at her disposal to live. Any second he’d attack. She could see the way his muscles bunched, the way he favored his right leg just before a jump. Where she was ruthless, Jefferson was arrogant. He would always underestimate her because she was female and therefore weaker. Especially unable to summon her wolf.
From the sidelines, Ryker struggled—she could hear the chains rattle, the hum of electricity arc in the air, his grunt of pain. A roll of thunder skated above them. The doors burst open, many males filling the stadium. The ground quaked around them, the foundations shaking with flacks of mortar falling like rain. Her gaze wanted to coast to the entrance; self-preservation held it steady.
Jefferson hurdled forward, hitting her straight in the chest like she knew he would. She hit the ground and wedged her feet into the soft underside of this belly, flipping him over her head. Flinging her body up, she grabbed a fist full of dirt and tossed it toward Jefferson. He yelped and shook his head, swiping his paws across his face.
Running, she tackled Jefferson. He snapped, sinking his teeth into her arm and shook his head. Pain stole her breath. She cried out. A wave of nausea rolled in her stomach. It was now or never. In every person’s life there was a defining moment. One that would change the trajectory of their life. This was hers. Jefferson’s teeth were bone deep. Her hand shot up, claws at the ready, and she slashed across his throat.
A moment passed. Then blood spilled out from the four stash marks across his throat. He tore free. Her attack wasn’t a killing blow. But victory teased her taste buds. Jefferson stumbled and fell to the ground.
Pushing herself up, she stalked him. “Jefferson. Look at me,” she demanded. “I want to be the last thing you see. You’re a monster, and after this moment I won’t ever think of you again. I will go on and be happy and live a full life. Something you won’t get to do.”
Jefferson’s lip lifted in one final snarl, a death rattle in his chest. She crouched, wrapped her hand around his throat, and yanked it free.
18
Males poured into the stadium. Not all from the Pit. Ryker saw Marcus glancing back and he didn’t waste the distraction. Wrapping his arm around the chain, he yanked Marcus forward. Catching the male off guard, and twirled the asshole into him.
Marcus smiled, and then Ryker heard it. The soft whirring of the mechanism. The chain around his waist squeezed tighter and pulled him forward. He wouldn’t have much time. “Enough foreplay then.”
Snapping his fist forward, he smacked the male in the nose, the crunch of bone flexed under his knuckles. Marcus shook his head and kicked out, slamming in the solar plexus. Ryker staggered back, but the chain didn’t let him go far. The chain tightened another inch. His skin pinched and he gritted his teeth.
He had to get to Kali. Nothing else mattered but his mate. Every moment she was left to fight that sick son of a bitch new glyphs scorched up his skin. He didn’t know how many glyphs he had left. But, by the way he suddenly craved to gorge on the blood of his victims, he would guess not long.
Marcus’s leg shot out again. Ryker jumped and spun in the air, landing right in front of the male. He slammed his head forward, hitting his mark. Claws extended, he shot his hand up, stabbing under his chin. Blood ran down his fingers, and his mouth watered to taste the fluid.
The male stiffened and shot his hand forward, clutching around Ryker’s neck
. He tightened his grip, cutting off his airway. He pulled but because of the chain neither of them was going anywhere. One minute he was claws deep in Ryker's skin, the next his body tensed, his hand loosening.
Marcus’s body fell to the floor and behind him, Saint stood, blood coating his fist dripping from the still-beating heart he held. Surprised to his see his brother, Ryker nodded, fighting the urge to attack him too. Saint wasn’t his enemy. No matter how much he’d tried to give the illusion—even to Saint. Considering their history, it was even more astonishing the Shadow Moon pack was amid the fight. “Nice of you to show up.”
His beast whispered dark, sweet words into his mind. It wanted him to attack, keep killing everything in sight. The monster didn’t care that Saint had just saved his life. It was hungry. Hungry to kill.
Saint raised his brows, dropping the heart. “What? And let you have all the fun, brother? It would be just like you to want the glory all to yourself.”
Kali cried out. Ryker drew on his reserves and gained control. He reached down and yanked the box from Marcus’s hold. Crouching, he shoved his fingers into the male’s jeans and pulled out the key. Within seconds he had one of the leashes unlocked. The heavy metal around his neck reminded him he wasn’t one hundred percent free.
An explosion rocked the pillars of the stadium. Battle cries sang around him and in the haze hovering in the air, he sought out the one thing that mattered most.
Kali.
Jumping the railing, he ran to his mate just as Jefferson’s lifeless form hit the dirt. She spun to face him, wildness in her eyes. Yanking her into his arms, he held her tight. Mine. My strong, amazing female. Burying his nose in her hair, he sucked in a deep breath, smelling home, smelling hope. He just had to hold on a little longer; they weren’t out of the fray yet.
Not being able to get to his female would shame him always. Keeping his mate safe was his most sacred duty… and he’d failed. He savored the feeling of Kali in his arms and pulled her closer, before reluctantly letting her go. Peeling off his shirt, he handed it to her. “Are you okay?”